8th Edition Genestealer Cults Codex Review: Part 6- Elites

This part of my 8th Edition Genestealer Cults codex review will take a look at the Elites section. The Cult got a lot of new support characters, who mostly reside here, along with the classic units. 

Elites

Hybrid Metamorphs

I never tended to run these guys in the Index. They seemed to be very expensive for what they could do. 

They Hybrid Metamorphs have a pretty strong profile. They are similar to Acolyte Metamorphs, but get 3 attacks base, one more than the Acolytes (though with their Cultist Knives, it adds up to the same, but without the weapons bonuses). 

Where the squad gets their difference is in the metamorph upgrades they can take. They come with a Rending Claw and Metamorph Talon as standard, for 10 points per model. This gives them three attacks with the Rending Claw and one with the Talon (at S4 and AP0). This gives the squad four attacks as standard, which is pretty good for the unit, though I'm not sure the extra attack is worth 3 pts per model over the Acolyte Hybrids. The Talon also gives +1 to hit, which is a nice bonus, but you lose the AP. 

They can also take a Metamorph Claw, taking them up to S6 and AP-1. This is pricey, taking them up to 13 pts per model. S6 is pretty good on the squad, with 3 attacks each at AP-1, they should do a lot of damage to a number of units. Again, I'm not sure this is worth it over the Heavy Mining Combat weapons the Acolyte Hybrids can take. 

The can also replace their rending claw with a Metamorph talon. this takes them up to 11 pts each, but each Hybrid Metamorph then gets 5 attacks in combat (though at no AP). This is actually a pretty strong option against horde armies with poor armour saves, such as Orks or Guardsmen (or other Genestealer Cults armies!). All the attacks also get +1 to hit, allowing them to hit on a 2+ in most cases. 

They can also take Metamorph whips, allowing them to strike again if they are slain. 

I think the double Talons is a good option. A squad of 10 will get 50 attacks that hit on a 2+ at S4 for only 110 pts. That is pretty strong for going through horde units and weakly armoured enemy units. Throw on Might From Beyond to take them to S5 and 6 attacks each, and even vehicles may be threatened by this unit. 

I think the Metamorphs have improved a bit over the index from getting cheaper. They can easily put out a lot of low AP attacks and should be able to do a lot of damage against selected enemy units. They still suffer from the poor durability of the Genestealer Cults units though, so will be easy to take out with enemy firepower. 

8th Edition Genestealer Cults Codex Review: Part 5- Troops

The next part of my 8th edition Genestealer Cults Codex review will take a look at the Troops choices available to the Cult. 

Troops

Acolyte Hybrids

For me, the Acolyte Hybrids are one of the core choices for the Genestealer Cults army. They have access to some great combat weaponry, as well as the powerful Demolition charges. 

The Acolyte Hybrids have dropped to 7 pts each in the codex (down from 11 pts each in the Index). This was a necessary reduction, in my opinion. They are a strong combat unit when armed correctly, but their durability was very poor, due to being T3 with a 5+ save. They hit really hard on the turn they arrived, but quickly fell to enemy firepower in retribution.

The points reductions in the squad make them an even more viable choice to make up the bulk of the army.

The squad all get rending claws and cultist knives, giving them some strong AP attacks and an extra attack with the cultist knife.

The squad gets access to a number of strong combat weapons in the form of the Heavy Rock Cutter, Heavy Rock Drill and Heavy Rock Saw. All these weapons are Sx2, AP-3 or -4. None of them suffer -1 to hit in combat, so you can get some good accuracy with the squad, especially when combined with a Primus, giving +1 to hit. Some of the choices also have the option to do additional mortal wounds or slaying models outright. You can take two of these for every 5 models in the squad, so these are very powerful weapons to take in a larger squad.

8th Edition Genestealer Cults Codex Review: Part 4- HQ Units

Part four of my 8th Edition Genestealer Cults codex review will take a look at the HQ units in the codex. There are a few new additions to the army that give you some nice combat and firepower bonuses. 

HQ Units

All Genestealer Cults characters get the benefit of Unquestioning Loyalty, allowing them to pass on wounds to nearby units. This boosts the durability of your characters significantly. 

Patriarch

The Patriarch is a very strong combat monster for the Genestealer Cults, as well as providing some nice buffs to nearby units. 

He has a solid profile, hitting on a 2+, with 6 attacks at S6, AP-3 and D3 damage that allows you to re-roll failed to wound rolls with his Monstrous Rending Claws. He will chew through most squads that don't have a good invulnerable save. He is T5 and 6 wounds, with a 4+ save and 5+ invulnerable save. He is fairly durable, but will fall to high toughness, high AP weaponry. 

He also gives +1 to hit for Genestealer units within 6" (Genestealer units, not Genestealer Cults units), as well as a 6" immune to morale bubble. Like other Genestealers, he can advance and still charge. 

He also gets a boost over the Index version, now knowing 2 psychic powers from the Broodmind discipline, giving him more utility. However, he can still only cast one power per turn, unless he takes a familiar. 

There are a few of the warlord traits and relics that are of good use to the Patriarch. Unfortunately, he doesn't get any Cult Creeds, so won't receive these bonuses. 

He has dropped down to 125 pts in the codex, a 25 pts reduction over the Index. He is good value for points and will crush most units in combat. A solid choice for the Cult. 

8th Edition Genestealer Cults Codex Review: Part 3- Warlord Traits, Relics and Psychic Powers

Part 3 of my 8th edition Genestealer Cults codex review will take a look at the Warlord Traits, Relics and Psychic powers available to the army. Check out the previous parts of the review if you missed them; part 1 looking at the generic army special rules, while part 2 looked at the new Stratagems. 

Warlord Traits

The Genestealer Cults get 6 new generic warlord traits, as well as the Creed-specific ones. 

Focus of Adoration- Friendly Cult Infantry and Biker units can perform a heroic intervention whilst they are within 6" of your warlord, even if they are not characters. 

This was the one from Chapter Approved. It is ok, but I rarely found myself in a situation where it would come into effect. I would probably give it a miss. 

Shadow Stalker- Subtract 1 from hit rolls for attacks that target your warlord. 

A solid warlord trait. Will help out a Patriarch in combat against enemy shooting attacks. A great one for a Jackal Alphus, making it -2 to hit in the shooting phase. 

Biomorph Adaptation- Add 1 to your warlord's attacks and strength characteristics. 

Another nice bonus for a Patriarch, giving him 7 attacks at S7. Just a pity the patriarch doesn't get the Creed bonuses, as he would go up to S8 with Twisted Helix! Works well for a Primus, going up to S5 or S6 with the Twisted Helix creed. 

Born Survivor- Reduce any damage inflicted on your warlord by 1 (to a minimum of 1). 

Another nice bonus for keeping your warlord alive for longer. Good for attacks that get through the Unquestioning Loyalty save. 

Alien Majesty- Add 3" to the range of your warlord's aura abilities. 

I think this is a very strong warlord trait. This gives you a 9" bubble of +1 to hit in the fight phase with a Primus, or a 9" immunity to morale bubble with a Patriarch. I think this also increases the range of the Unquestioning Loyalty ability to 6", so gives you more chance of keeping your warlord alive for longer. 

Preternatural Speed- Your warlord always fights first in the Fight phase, even if they did not charge. If the enemy has units that charged or has a similar ability, then alternative choosing units to fight with. 

A nice bonus for a combat character. However, if you are getting charged, you are not going to be able to use it in most cases. 

Winters SEO Battle Report- Tyranids vs Deathwatch

I recently played Winters SEO in another great battle report on his channel. This time my Deathwatch took on his Tyranids. 

If you want a good laugh, check out the comments section. I had no idea that so many stranglers disliked me. I mean, I had my suspicions, but it's nice to have it confirmed! :)

8th Edition Genestealer Cults Codex Review: Part 2- Stratagems

Part 2 of my 8th edition Genestealer Cults codex review will take a look at the great new stratagems available to the army. 

Stratagems

Clandestine Goals (1CP)- If the mission you are playing uses Tactical Objectives, you can keep your objectives secret from your opponent until they are scored. 

This is similar to the Dark Angels stratagem allowing you to keep the cards drawn a secret. I'm a big fan of maelstrom games and this is a huge boost, keeping your opponent guessing as to what you are trying to achieve each turn. I will probably use this one in most of my games. 

Lurk in the Shadows (2CP)- Play at the start of your opponent's shooting phase on an Infantry unit that is entirely in terrain. Until the end of the phase, enemy units cannot shoot the unit unless they are the closest visible target. 

A strong stratagem to help keep a unit in cover safe from enemy firepower. I can see this being of use if you have a unit holding an objective in cover to stop your opponent from shooting them off of it to stop you from scoring points. Also good for a Lascannon Heavy Weapons squad sitting back in cover to help keep your anti-tank firepower safer. I don't see it being used all too often, but could be very strong in the right circumstances. 

They Came From Below (1CP)- Use before revealing a Cult Ambush marker. Up to 3 units (excluding vehicles) from your army can be removed from the battlefield and set up underground as described in Cult Ambush. 

A strong stratagem for putting more of your units in reserve after deployment. This allows you to get selected units in a better position if you have not placed the ambush markers well, or your opponent has gone for a refused flank. Also, would allow you to pull a fake refused flank, getting enemy units out of position before the game starts. 

8th Edition Genestealer Cults Codex Review: Part 1- Special Rules, Cult Creeds

Welcome to my 8th edition Codex Review for the new Genestealer Cults army. This first part will take a look at some of the various special rules in the new book. 

Genestealer Cults, for me, are one of the best looking armies in the current 40k range. I picked them up in 7th edition, and they have been a favourite of mine. It doesn't hurt that there is a great new range of models coming out for the army as well. 

Cult Ambush

The Genestealer Cults' defining special rule has seen a big change in the release of the codex. Previously, any units in reserve rolled a D6 on the Cult Ambush table and deployed according to the result. This meant you could either have to deploy from reserve normally (9" away from enemy unit), deploy on a random table edge, or be able to move or shoot after coming out of reserve. 

Obviously, this was entirely variable and games were either won or lost on the Cult Ambush roll. In some situations, your giant Genestealer unit would come out of reserve and get to move and charge, pretty much guaranteeing a charge. However, at other times you could struggle to roll high on the table or roll well for the wrong units, making the game a real uphill struggle to do well in the later turns. 

The new Cult Ambush rules don't have the potential for sheer raw power of the old version, but it seems to be a lot more reliable than the previous version, allowing you to substitute random rolling for tactical ploys. 

40k Battle Report 173- Deathwatch vs Chaos Space Marines

This week's battle report features my Deathwatch army taking on Alex's Chaos Space Marines in a Chapter Approved 2018 maelstrom of war mission. 

We were playing the Scars of Battle maelstrom mission. This is the mission where you roll a D6 on the first battle round. If you roll a 1, you remove cards 11-16, if you roll a 2 you remove cards 21-26, etc. This limits the cards you can score and can really hurt your game depending on what cards you need to remove. 

My army consisted of:

Battalion Detachment

Watch Master- Guardian Spear

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer, Bolt Pistol, Storm Shield

9 Deathwatch Veterans- 9 Storm Bolters, 2 Storm Shields, Chainswords, Vanguard Veteran- Bolt Pistol, Storm Shield

10 Intercessors- Bolt Rifles, Bolt Pistols

5 Veterans- 2 Missile Launchers, 3 Stalker Bolters, Chainswords, Terminator- Power Fist, Storm Bolter, Cyclone Missile Launcher

5 Veterans- 2 Frag Cannons, 3 Shotguns, Storm Shield 

5 Veterans- Missile Launcher, 2 Heavy Bolters, Bolters, Terminator, Power Fist, Assault Cannon

10 Veterans- 6 Bolters, Meltagun, 3 Combi-Meltas, chainswords

Rhino- Two Storm Bolters

Rhino- Two Storm Bolters 

Razorback- Twin Lascannon, Storm Bolter

Outrider Detachment

Watch Captain- Jump Pack, Relic Blade, Bolt Pistol, Lord of Hidden Knowledge (warlord trait), The Tome of Ectoclades (Relic)

4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Chainswords

4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Chainswords

4 Bikers- Twin Bolters, Sergeant with Storm Bolter and Storm Shield, Chainswords

This was my first game with the new Beta Bolter rules. Due to this, I wanted to try out some Biker units, given the additional shots at long range they now get. I took three units to allow me to fill an Outrider detachment. 

I didn't take a double Battalion, as I wanted to practice the list for an upcoming tournament, the North East Open. They don't allow double detachments, so I wanted the extra command point in the army. 

Better Know A Blogger: Part 55- The WoffBoot Chronicles

This week's Better Know A Blogger features Stylus and Kraken from the WoofBoot Chronicles.

This is an unusual one this week, as the questions feature answers from both writers of the blog. The WoofBoot Chronicles features writers from Wales and Sweden, a very international blog with two great points of view.

I was first drawn to the WoofBoot chronicles for the fantastic written battle reports that you can find there. Their battle reports feature plenty of written details, great photos of the action and turn overview maps. If you are a fan of the battle reports on St Andrews Wargaming, you will most likely enjoy these battle reports too!

On top of that, you will find some great hobby content, dioramas and reviews.

Here are the answers to my questions:

The WoffBoot Chronicles is a gestalt entity that simultaneously exists in Wales and Sweden. So you’ll be getting two different sets of answers, much in the way we write out battle reports. 

I, Stylus, will be writing in text as plain as stale BelVita 

Whereas I, Kraken, I’ll just go with plain Bold. 

1. What age did you get into gaming and what started it off? 

I was ten years old when HeroQuest came out. Space Crusade followed the next year, and shortly after that, my first copy of White Dwarf. The rest is history. 

I was eleven when HeroQuest hit, but it was too late for me by then – I’d already played Space Hulk at a friend’s house. Much to my parents’ dismay, it was downhill after that.